As a Leader. . .

First you must recognize that dysfunction is the reason why teams fail.

Second you must begin to establish the conditions that produce trust on
the team. In some cases this might mean discipline to some employees, perhaps in
some cases it means termination or removal from the team.

You must call people on their negative behaviors.

You Must Become Ruthlessly Honest

To establish trust and begin counteracting the root of why teams fail,
start with honesty.

"Trust is a psychological state comprising the
intention to accept vulnerability based on positive expectations of the
intentions of another."

We are vulnerable when part of a team. If we can't trust the people around us
we become lost.

Conflicts, problems, drama, meetings, boundaries all run smoother when people
trust each other.

Have Courage in the Face of Fear

Honesty brings conflict. This is true in life, on teams, and in business.

Fear not. Jim Collins, author of Good To Great says, "The essence of profound
insight is simplicity."

Honesty builds trust, yet it often brings conflict
to those who not eady for honesty or simplicity.

This one simple concept drives the stake in the heart of the question of "why
teams fail?" Honesty, being essential, brings conflict, yet you must stay
true to your course.

Fight Lack of Commitment

"They understand each other and collective goals better." -Eric Mangini (Coach of the Cleveland Browns)

Being committed, like being honest, scares people who operate on dishonesty and distrust. They play by an ever-shifting set of rules, so "commitment" means just that "being committed" to a specific course of action and an established set of guiding principles.

"Trying" to be committed does not work.

Just like Yoda said to Luke in Star Wars, "Do or do not. . . there is no try."

When having trouble establishing commitment, means you have
not taken care of the previous two factors:

1. Are people fearful of rocking the boat by being honest?2. Are people
trusting?

If you have trust, you're ruthlessly honest and not afraid of
conflict with others on the team. Then commitment to a plan of action should
come easily.

If you exhibit fear, dishonesty or distrust you must identify the factors
that not allow you to move forward. This step is integral to your
success, since these sticking points cause team failure.

Begin Holding Everyone Accountable

Commitment and faith in your course of action breeds accountability on your
team. It's natural to hold yourself and the people around you accountable when
you believe in clearly defined goals and roles.

Using these different forms such as constructive criticism, mentoring, collaboration, etc. all hold one another accountable. But t

To be effective they all require trust
and honesty.

Each breaks down when one leg of the stool goes missing.

Accountability occurs when your "Why" is strong enough and you keep people
around you with common goals.

Only Pay Attention To Results

The best teams pay attention to what works, and acutely aware
of the items not working.

Jim Collins makes it clear, the business that pays attention to their unique
Hedgehog Concept and keeps it in the forefront of their mind in all situations,
is the business that succeeds the most.